Texas Sycamore

 In
Texas Sycamore

Platanus occidentalis var. glabrata
Platanus occidentalis var. glabrata
Texas Sycamore; Buttonball Tree
Eastern U.S.; a Texas native.
36

72 feet
40

50 feet
  • Central Texas
  • Texas
  • Full Sun
  • Part Sun/Shade
  • Low
  • Birds

About This Plant

Full sun. Deciduous with distinctive palmate leaves and sloughing bark. Sycamore is very big, very tall, and fast-growing. (It isn’t especially long lived on dry upland sites though.) It prefers growing close to water; try to pick downhill sites that will receive runoff during rain events.

Pruning is always optional. Cuts should only be made at a bud or branch; in general focus on minimizing dead, damaged, or rubbing branches. As with any tree remove no more than 25% of the total canopy during any five-year cycle. To maintain a healthy specimen, leave the upper 2/3 of the trees height uncut and never remove more than the lowest third of the tree in a single pruning period — for example on a 12-foot tree stick to the lowest 4 feet.

Mulch with about 2″ of wood chips or pine bark wherever possible. (In general a tree’s mulched area should be six feet at minimum.)

Maintenance

Pruning; training; leaf drop in autumn.

Features

Plant Type:
Large Tree
Size:
36-72' H, 40-50' W
Sunlight Requirements:
Full Sun, Part Sun/Shade
Soil Types:
Clay, Sandy
Wildlife:
Birds
Flower Color:
Bloom Time:
Freeze Hardy:
Yes
Invasive:
No
Caution:
None
Coupon Eligible:
No

This plant goes well with

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